Office of the Mayor

Mayor's Office Press Release

Mayor Turner Announces Artist Residency Program

July 20, 2017 -- Mayor Sylvester Turner announces that the City of Houston is seeking three artists to participate in a pilot Resident Artist Program. The new, 16-week community-impact artist residency will pair Houston artists with city and partner agencies to create art that addresses the issues of community development, veterans, immigrants and refugees.

The artists will receive an honorarium of $7,500, with a $2,500 stipend for a project. The program is made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

“Houston is full of talented artists and we want to provide them with time and space to focus their creative practice on communities,” said Mayor Turner. “I am very excited to include the Resident Artist pilot as part of the cultural strategy in the Complete Communities initiative.”

Houston is home to one of the largest populations of military service members and families; 28 percent of its population is foreign-born; it leads the nation in refugee resettlement; moreover, Houston is facing significant population growth and affordable housing tensions. In light of these factors, the artists will be hosted by the city Office of Veteran’s Affairs, the city Office of New Americans and Immigrant Communities, BakerRipley and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation. The artists will work in the areas of Gulfton, Near Northside and Third Ward. The program will be managed by the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs.

The residency program aims to document what the artists learn, and use that as a guide for Houston agencies to use to incorporate artists into their community services.

Applicants from Houston’s visual, performing, literary and multimedia artists are welcome. Requirements include prior completion of Artists, INC Houston program of Mid-America Arts Alliance and Fresh Arts, or a grant through the local arts agency Houston Arts Alliance.

Complete applications must be submitted online by 5:00 p.m., Sunday, August 20, 2017 via http://www.houstontx.gov/RAPapplication.html. All eligible applications will be reviewed by a committee and the three artists will be announced in early September 2017.